


"What is Life but a Series of Inspired Follies?"

by Daretodream66



Series: Rosetta Stone [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, And More Fluff, Artist Steve Rogers, Billionaire, Bucky Bakes, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, But hers is misplaced for a little while, Demi-god Steve Rogers, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, God Sam Wilson, Goddess Pepper Potts, He doesn't know that until later, It's a ridiculous amount of fluff, M/M, Philanthorist, Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Sam Wilson, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Protective Wanda Maximoff, She Athena, Soulmates, True Love, Witch Natasha Romanov, Witch Wanda Maximoff, Younger Bucky Barnes, genius, tony stark - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:35:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23920153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daretodream66/pseuds/Daretodream66
Summary: The continuation of the Rosetta Stone story.  This is a complete rewrite of what was originally posted.  Bucky figures out how to live in this new world.  Steve just loves him through it all.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Series: Rosetta Stone [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1544584
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36





	"What is Life but a Series of Inspired Follies?"

**Author's Note:**

> I was never happy with the second part of the Rosetta Stone story. I was in a bad place when I wrote the original. So, last week I deleted it and did a top to bottom rewrite. This is much less dark and mush MORE a fluff-fest. Seriously, make a dentist appointment now because this shit's going to rot your teeth.

“Buck?” It’s been three months since coming home from Italy and as Steve exits the lift on Bucky’s floor, he can smell that the younger man has been baking. One of the things that Bucky has taken to is cooking and impressing all of them since about the third week. The first two weeks there were many incidences of fire alarms and smoke, but then Steve introduced him to YouTube and things much improved. Sam, Wanda, and Pepper have contributed cookbooks which have become the young men’s prize possessions. Now, every evening when Steve comes to his floor, Bucky has done something else miraculous in the kitchen. Something about the domesticity of the situation warms every fiber of Steve’s being. “Love?”

Today it’s the distinct smell of chocolate and caramel coming from the kitchen with an underlying hint of coffee. The man in question comes around the corner, wiping his hands on a dish towel. He’s still in pajama pants and a t-shirt with what looks suspiciously like cocoa powder dusted across the front. He grins broadly, “Steve!” He walks into the artist’s outstretched arms, burying his face in the blond’s neck. Taking a deep breath, Bucky looks up smiling. “I didn’t expect to see you until later.” He kisses the side of Steve’s neck then rubs his nose across the place he just kissed.

“Well, the meeting finished early and I couldn’t wait to see you.” He leans in, taking Bucky’s mouth in a tender kiss.

This affection has been happening more and more, but until Bucky is more comfortable in this new world, Steve doesn’t want to push too much. He’s taken to the technology like he was born to it and Steve has caught him more than once having conversations with JARVIS about all the technology that has been developed in the last 50 years; specifically what Tony has accomplished. 

Steve would like, more than anything, to have this same domestic feeling in his own home, but the Tower is where Bucky lives. Bucky visits Steve’s brownstone and has even become friends with Mrs. McGarrity that owns the bakery down the street, but Steve can’t push, he needs Bucky to come to terms with this new world. So, he spends his time at the Tower in Bucky’s home.

Steve’s biggest concern is how Bucky reacts when they go out. He’s admitted that it isn’t fear exactly, but more a sense of being overwhelmed by so much. Having grown up here, Steve doesn’t think about taking subways or walking through the crowded street, but the first time he’d seen Bucky’s face, the shaking of his hands, the nervousness in his eyes, Steve understood. Crowded markets in Ancient Greece were nothing on blaring horns and shouting New Yorkers. Steve has no issue holding him close when they leave the Tower to get food or when they go to the park.

There have been other concerns as well. After going to lunch with Pepper a few weeks ago, he came back with a phone number. When Steve asked what it was, he said that a really nice young woman had given it to him and told him to text any time. Steve had about a second of jealousy then realized that Bucky had no idea what the young woman really wanted. After explaining it, Bucky had thrown the number away, blushing furiously and apologizing. Steve had only laughed and told him he should get used to it because someone as attractive as Bucky was going to get asked out a lot. 

Steve smiles down at that gorgeous face, needing to kiss him once more, so he does. “What are you making because it smells incredible?”

Leading Steve into the kitchen with a hand at the small of his back, they reach the island, Bucky waves his arm in the direction of the cake sitting on the counter. It looks to be three layers of chocolate/caramel decadence. “I tried something new today and I really hope it tastes as good as it smells. The batter is very good with just a hint of coffee and I thought after Wanda’s birthday dinner tonight we could all come back here and have cake.” He looks back over at the cake, seeming lost in thought. “So many strange new customs.” Steve has noticed that this happens too. When Bucky is confronted with something that he didn’t know from before, he stops like he’s processing.

Arms slip around Bucky’s waist and Steve pulls him in. Bucky’s head falls back, resting on Steve’s shoulder. “You just need time. You’re getting there.” Bucky nods and then kisses Steve’s neck. “I don’t think I ever asked, when is your birthday?”

Bucky turns in his arms, snuggling into Steve’s chest. “I don’t know really. I know it’s sometime in the third month of your calendar year, but I was never important enough to mark that day as special.” He leans away, looking into Steve’s eyes. “Wanda had to explain how your calendar works. Time is measured so different now.”

It isn’t the first time that Bucky has said something that implies his worth to his family. It leads Steve to believe that Bucky’s family sucked on an epic scale. He thought about asking Wanda, but decides that when Bucky is ready to tell him things, he will. “Well then, we are going to pick a day in March and that is going to be your birthday.” Steve hugs him close, marveling in how well they fit together. “And expect a really big blowout because we are going huge.”

Bucky huffs a laugh. “I don’t need anything huge Steven, I have everything I want already.”

“Yes, but _James,”_ Bucky snorts. “If I want to spoil you, it is my right as your boyfriend.”

Bucky grins at him. “Why are you so good to me?” It’s like Bucky doesn’t think he deserves to be treated the way that Steve treats him and for Steve that’s confusing because Bucky is the most kind, generous, sensitive, intelligent, beautiful person that Steve has ever met. He can be goofy, especially around Wanda. He can have theoretical conversations about technology with Tony that are way above Steve’s head. He can talk philosophy with Sam and humanitarian ideas with Pepper. With Steve he’s just…he’s everything Steve wants, but never thought he’d have. Now here’s Bucky thinking he isn’t worth the trouble of a birthday.

Steve guides him to the sofa and pulls Bucky down into his lap. “I’m good to you because you make everything in my life better.” He reaches up, pushing an errant strand of hair behind Bucky’s ear. “I’m good to you because you deserve everything good in this world.” He pulls the younger man in, kissing his temple. “I’m good to you because you are _my_ everything.”

Bucky pulls his legs up and Steve cradles him close. It isn’t the first time he’s folded himself into Steve’s lap. With his head tucked under Steve chin, the voice that comes out of him is quiet, almost childlike. “I don’t know what to say when you say things like that.”

Steve kisses the crown of his head. “What do you want to say?”

Bucky pulls back, balancing on Steve’s lap and reaching to caress the artist’s face. “I want to say that…” He takes a deep breath and Steve thinks that whatever is about to come out of Bucky’s mouth is life changing. “I want to say, I love you.”

And Steve is right; it is life changing because it’s the first time either of them have said that. Placing his hand on top of Bucky’s, he smiles softly. “You’re a brave man James Barnes because I’ve been wanting to say it, but was too afraid.” Taking Bucky’s hand from his face, he kisses the man’s palm. “I love you too, so, so much.”

By the time Steve comes out of the bedroom ready to go, Bucky is counting out candles for the cake and carefully placing them around the edge of the top layer. “How did you decide how many to put on there?” Bucky looks up, brow furrowed. “Well, if you put the correct amount we’ll burn the building down.”

Bucky barks a laugh and Steve grins that he can please Bucky’s sense of humor to this degree. “I took how old she was when she…” He stops trying to find the right way to say it. “When she put me away for safe keeping…” Steve can’t help the snort that comes out at that. “And then added the amount of years she’s been working for Tony. So, she’s 26.” He pauses with one of the candles then goes back to place the next one, talking more to himself. “It’s so odd to think about that.”

Steve comes around handing him the next candle. “What’s odd?”

“Well, she’s older than me now.” He takes the candle, spacing it just right.

“Bucky, how old are you?” It seems strange to Steve that this hasn’t come up before. He’ll be 27 in July and has just assumed that Bucky is the same or a couple of years younger. They just seemed to fall into a comfortable pattern and things as insignificant as a person’s age didn’t come up, but now, with this conversation, Steve thinks he should have asked before.

“I was 19 summers when I went into the stone.” He says it off-handed and places the next candle. Reaching out to take the next, he doesn’t find it. Instead he sees Steve looking dazed. “Steve?”

Age doesn’t make any difference to Steve and he knows that Bucky has no idea what the general population will see when they go out together to the art opening coming up in a couple of weeks. He grins, kissing Bucky’s cheek and handing over the next candle. “I didn’t realize I was robbing the cradle.”

Sticking the last candle in place, Bucky looks up confused. “Robbing the cradle?”

Steve checks the time and if they don’t leave, they will be late. “I’ll explain later, but right now we need to go.” He takes Bucky’s hand, heading to the lift, but doesn’t miss the curious look on the younger man’s face.

Dinner is at the most upscale Manhattan restaurant that Tony could find. Because of course it is. Wanda loves everything about it and doesn’t make a secret about it. A piano plays somewhere off in a dark corner and a few people dance during the evening. Bucky watches everything with awe in his expression. 

“Okay birthday girl, what are you planning on eating because tonight is on me.” Tony watches Wanda look over the menu, grinning and biting her bottom lip.

“I don’t know. Everything looks so good.” She looks over the menu at Bucky, who seems just as overwhelmed by the options.

“Pepper and I have eaten here so much, too much probably, so if you aren’t sure, we can order for you.” Wanda nods, laying the menu down. “What about you, Alabaster?”

Bucky is slowly getting used to a different nickname every time Tony talks to him. “I think if anyone is going to order for me, it’s going to be Steve.” He waggles his finger at Tony. “You, I don’t trust.” Tony looks indignant and everyone chuckles.

Steve loves watching Bucky. He loves the way everything is so new to the younger man. He loves how he can tell that Bucky is taking everything in and will have questions about things later. But right now, he can’t take his eyes off of the younger man because he’s consumed with a need to take care of him. “Do you really want me to choose?” There’s a nod and Steve looks over the best option.

At the end of the meal, the waiter suggests desserts, which Wanda is very excited about when Bucky takes her hand. “I’ve actually taken care of that already.”

She beams at him, looking up at the rest of the group. “I think we can skip dessert if Jacobus has worked his magic in the kitchen.” Bucky blushes as they rise to leave.

As they begin to cross the dance floor, Wanda stops, turning to Sam. “Samuel, dance with me on my birthday.”

He grins and holds out his hand. “I think if we are going to dance then we all should dance.” He looks at the group and Tony smiles, holding his hand out to Pepper. The two couples dance away.

Steve turns to Bucky, noticing the soft smile, offering his hand. “Would you do me the honor?” The younger man turns with a surprised expression.

Bucky takes his hand. “Always such a gentleman. You would have been the noblest in my town and never given me a second look.” The comment stabs at Steve’s heart.

Steve pulls him close, wrapping him safely in his arms. “I would have seen you in the market and fallen in love with you in an instant.” Bucky practically melts into the arms around him. They sway to the music and everything else fades into nothing. Steve cradles Bucky in his arms, lips against the shorter man’s ear. “I would have been as helpless against my feelings for you then as I am now.” As the song comes to a close, the other two couple’s trade partners and leave Steve and Bucky to enjoy another song. Steve sings quietly into Bucky’s ear making every part of him turn to gooey mess of emotions. As they sway, holding each other, Steve continues in a whisper. “When I was little, my mother told me that I was special and destined for great things.” He kisses just below Bucky’s ear. “I know now that I’m special because you came to me.” Bucky leans away to interject, but Steve kisses him. “You make me special and I will be grateful to you for loving me and bringing me home.” Bucky blushes, looking down. “You are my home, Jacobus.” It’s the only time that Steve has used his given name. Bucky looks up and something in Steve’s eyes is different. “Everything that you were and everything you will become is what fills me with life.”

The song ends and the two look up to see their friends smiling. Pepper and Wanda seem a little teary-eyed. The group makes it back to the Tower and Bucky’s floor. “I think we could have used a few more decorations.” Tony looks around, having expected a banner or balloons. Pepper waves her hand and fills the space with balloons making Tony smirk. “Show-off.” 

She leans in, pecking him on the cheek. “I use very little of my abilities, so why shouldn’t I use them to make other’s happy.” Tony wraps his arm around her, pulling her close.

Over the course of the last few months, long, intense conversations have happened, some between the two that are directly affected and some with the whole group. Their dynamic has changed, but slowly, they are becoming family. The evolution can’t be helped with everyone understanding who and what the others are. Sometimes Bucky still looks at Pepper in awe, sometimes Steve still looks around like he doesn’t know who any of them are, sometimes Wanda still cries about her guilt, but together they are all getting through the pain. Tonight is Bucky’s way of bringing them together as the family they need to be.

Coming out of the kitchen, Bucky carries the cake and Steve follows with the plates. Wanda’s eyes get misty and the rest look on appreciatively. “This is incredible. You did this?”

“Of course I did this. Steve calls what I do in the kitchen magic. This is my magic. It doesn’t compare to you, but it’s my gift.” Wanda comes over, hugging him.

Whispering in his ear, she tries to express her joy. “What you do for me is so much more than magic.”

After the cake has been enjoyed and everyone compliments Bucky, Tony has JARVIS start music and they dance amongst the balloons, laughing and teasing each other. As it grows later, the atmosphere becomes soft and comfortable. Steve sees Tony looking around with a gentle, very un-Tony-like expression. They smile at each other and Tony goes for more cake.

Steve gazes out at the city while Tony and Pepper question Bucky on new things he’s come across. The lights twinkle back at him and Steve finds himself filled with a contentment he didn’t know was possible. Wanda wanders over, standing next to him. Steve smiles at her, looping an arm around her waist. “Happy Birthday.”

Pulling away, she stands with arms crossed over her chest, seeming to be in deep contemplation. About what, the artist can’t imagine. “You are too kind considering what I did to you.”

Steve looks puzzled. “I don’t understand. What did you do to me?”

Steve looks over at Bucky, who seems to know that something serious is happening and throws a concerned look over. Steve shrugs because he doesn’t know what this is about. “I tortured you and then tried to kill you.”

Steve barks a laugh gaining the attention of the rest of the room. “I believe that if you had really wanted me dead, I would be dead.”

He starts to continue, but she places a hand on his chest. “Let me do this.” Steve nods, he has an idea of what she’s trying to do, so he lets her have this. Knowing that for months she’s been trying to find a way to say this. “When I saw his future, I knew you were part of it. When I met you and even after we brought the marble in, I knew what could happen. I knew that you could lose yourself in the work, but I never expected it to get as complicated as it did. There was so much that even I never expected.” Steve knows that she means how he lost himself in the carving. How Bucky became an obsession unlike anything Steve had ever experienced. “Then when you took off the left side and I attacked you, it was unfair. It was out of line.” She turns to him, placing a hand on his chest again. “I am sorry for all of it. I wish I could have restrained myself. It had just been so long and I carried so much guilt for what I had to do to protect him.” She swallows hard. “Please, forgive me for my actions.”

It isn’t just the sincerity in her voice, which is very clearly there, but the tears in her eyes. “If you hadn’t brought the marble in, I wouldn’t have him. I should be thanking you for what you’ve brought into my life. And not just Bucky, but all of you.” He hugs her close and the others in the room flush with emotion. “Don’t ever apologize for filling my life with so much love and weirdness.”

Wanda snorts a laugh. Reaching up, she cups his cheek. “You are the gentlest of souls, Steven Rogers and you deserve what fate has given you.”

Looking back over at Bucky, he knows that his feelings are plainly written on his face. “He deserves everything fate planned for him.” Then he smirks. “I just have one question.” The group looks over curious. “Was it really fate or was it a goddess that likes to stick her nose into things?” 

Pepper tries to look offended, but smirks at him. “I’ll never tell.”

As everyone leaves, much later than any of them planned, Steve helps Bucky clean up the dishes. Once done, he goes to grab his coat. Just because he keeps clothes here for emergencies, he never actually stays. It’s getting harder to walk out at the end of the night, but he does it for Bucky. And now that he knows that Bucky is younger than he believed, tonight leaving is less of a struggle. As they stand at the lift, Bucky pulls him in by the collar. It starts gentle, just a soft brush of the lips, then the kiss heats up, but that’s nothing new. Sometimes they heat to the point that Steve has trouble walking straight and thinking afterwards. This time though, Bucky ends the kiss by attacking Steve’s neck. The moan that the artist lets out makes the younger man smile against his skin. “What was that, Steven?”

Just as Steve starts to respond, Bucky sucks a deep bruise at the juncture of Steve’s neck and shoulder. “Jesus Buck, you’re killing me.” He pulls away, looking at the lust blown eyes of the man he loves more than his own life. “I’m trying to be good here and you aren’t helping.”

Bucky takes his hand, pulling the man towards the bedroom. “I think we’re both done being good. It’s time to have what we really want.” He sits on the edge of the bed, looking up. “At least it’s what I want. I don’t know about you.” He looks down at the floor, hoping he isn’t wrong.

Steve kneels down in front of him, taking his chin to make eye contact. “Are you sure? Right now if you told me you didn’t want to be with me, I would walk out and never bother you again, but if…” Steve looks down breath shaky because just that thought squeezes his heart and soul unbearably. “But if we share this, I don’t think I can ever leave you. This isn’t just sex Buck, this is me laying everything I am at your feet. If you have any doubts…”

Bucky leans in, kissing Steve in the sweetest way. “Don’t ever talk of leaving me again. I know what this means and I’m offering you everything because I want us to belong to each other. Don’t you want that?” He speaks in whispers with such insecurity.

Steve leans in, forehead to Bucky’s shoulder and nearly whimpers. “I want it more than I want to keep breathing. I’m just concerned because you don’t know what’s out there, what might be better for you than me.”

Bucky laughs, delightedly. “Steve, there isn’t anything out there that’s better for me than you. I may be young, but I know my own heart and mind. I know when I’m with you everything makes sense I know that when I’m not with you, I feel like part of me is missing. I don’t know what this is, maybe it is magic, I just know that I’ve never been so aware of how I feel.”

Steve looks up, like the wind has been knocked from his lungs. “I wouldn’t even know where to start if someone asked me to put my feelings for you into words. I don’t know that there are words for how intense the emotions are, I just know that I can’t breathe without you. I don’t know how I survived before you came into my life.”

“Then let me see you?” Bucky blushes furiously.

Steve stands again, pulling his clothes off then pulling Bucky up and carefully undressing him as well. He’s not built like Steve, he has the body of a runner or a swimmer, tone, but lithe. Bucky runs his hand over Steve’s shoulder and chest. The artist wants to cry with how incredibly right it feels to have Bucky’s hand on him. Looking his fill, he steps back. “You are so beautiful.”

Bucky laughs. “Oh Stevie, no one has ever called me beautiful before and I don’t know that you have looked in a mirror.” The slip of a new nickname melts Steve’s insides. Bucky is perfect in every way and doesn’t even see it. He gives so much of himself to those he cares about. 

Steve takes his hand, guiding him to the full-length mirror in the corner of the room. Putting Bucky in front of him, Steve wraps him in his arms. “Look at yourself.” He sweeps his hands down the young man’s torso, onto his hips, and back up to his shoulder. “You are a work of art that I did not do justice to.”

Bucky turns, looking up into blue eyes the color of a bright summer sky. “You carved me, so I’m your work of art.”

Cupping Bucky’s face, Steve leans in to kiss him lightly. “I carved a shell. What was underneath I had nothing to do with. You are far beyond perfection and something I could never have conceived.” He caresses his nose along Bucky’s cheek. “You are a masterpiece that even the gods couldn’t recreate.”

Tears gather in Bucky’s eyes. “Take me to bed, Steve.”

The following morning, Bucky wakes just as Steve walks out of the bedroom. He doesn’t panic thinking Steve is leaving him because the man isn’t wearing any clothes. Bucky leans up in bed to watch that gorgeous backside walk across the living room and into the kitchen. Bending his legs at the knees, he rests his arm across them, biting his lower lip, and thinking about last night. If he’d known what that was going to be like, he would have dragged Steve to the nearest bed when they were still in Italy. He watches Steve standing at the counter, pressing the brew button on the coffee maker. He watches as the artist stretches, working his muscles. Bucky feels his face heat with a desire that doesn’t seem to be quenched, even after the night they shared.

A few minutes later, Steve comes back towards the bedroom carrying two cups of coffee and smiling as though he’s thinking about the same thing Bucky is. When he sees Bucky sitting up, the smile grows into a grin. “Morning Beautiful.”

Bucky blushes burying his face in his arm. He looks up shyly and takes the offered coffee. “You keep walking around like that and we aren’t leaving this bed for the next week.”

Steve snorts a laugh. “You act like that would be a hardship.” He kisses Bucky quickly. “If I didn’t have to be at the gallery today, I would crawl back in bed and never leave.” Steve reaches over, caressing a hand up and down Bucky’s thigh, causing the man to shiver. “How are you feeling?”

Bucky buries his head in his arm again, embarrassed. Steve tilts his head to catch Bucky’s eyes. “I’m…good.” Steve quirks an eyebrow. “Okay, I’m a little sore, but it’s a good sore. You know?”

Steve smiles. “I do know.” Getting up, Steve checks the closet to see if he has enough clothes for his meeting or if he’ll need to stop at his apartment. “I have that meeting at 1, so I have time before I have to go. I should get showered soon though.”

“Why don’t I go with you?” Bucky takes a sip of coffee, but Steve stops mid-sip.

“You mean, go out into the city with me? I know you don’t like doing that.” Steve sits on the bed again, leaning back on his arm, unknowingly putting his body on display.

Bucky gets lost in all the exposed skin and plains of muscles until Steve clears his throat. He blushes again. “Sorry, you’re just so…” He nods at Steve’s body and the artist smirks. “And it’s not that I don’t like going out, I just don’t like going out alone.”

“Then you _should_ come with me.” Steve looks like an excited puppy with a new toy. “We could go early and have lunch.” He gets up with joyous energy. “Oh…there’s a place near the gallery that has the best burgers you’ll ever eat. Whata ya say?”

“I say finish your coffee so we can shower.” Bucky looks at him over the rim of his cup.

“So _we_ can shower?” Steve swallows hard. “You aren’t too sore?”

Bucky gets up, placing the cup on his bedside table, and saunters into the bathroom. “You’ve created a monster Steven. Now that I’ve had the experience with you, I don’t think I can go a whole day without it.” Steve nearly spills what’s left of his coffee trying to get off the bed and dart after Bucky.

Standing in the gallery, Bucky is awed by everything created by Steve’s hands. The sculptures are shockingly beautiful, but the paintings and sketches are just as incredible. Steve is talking to the gallery owner and Sam comes over to check in with Bucky. “You look star-struck.”

Bucky smiles tentatively. “I know what he can do, but I didn’t know that he was painting too.”

Sam smirks. “Yeah, he started painting again after.” They share a meaningful looks. “He hasn’t painted in years. All of his energy went into sculpting, but he said that after you, he didn’t think he could create art that way anymore.”

Something in Bucky’s face shatters. “I never meant to be the reason he didn’t sculpted anymore.”

Sam waves his hand, seeing his mistake immediately. “Oh no, no, no. In all the time that I’ve known him, he was always looking for that one piece that would settle him. You were that piece.” He takes the man’s elbow and leads him further into the gallery. “Maybe it would help if you see his centerpiece for this show.”

They round a corner, into an alcove with delicate lighting. Hanging on the opposite wall is a painting that stuns Bucky. Walking slowly towards the painting, Bucky is struck dumb at how breathtaking it is. “When did he do this?”

Instead of Sam’s voice, he’s startled by Steve. “I’ve been working on it since we came back from Italy.”

Bucky turns to look at his love then back at the painting. “You made me look so…” He doesn’t finish the sentence because he doesn’t know how.

A few days after they returned, Steve had gone to the Tower to have lunch with Bucky and the others. When he walked into the living room, Bucky was sitting by the window, looking out at the city. His look was contemplative and pensive. Almost like he was afraid of his place in this new world. He was lit from behind and Steve’s breath had been stolen from his chest. He would have sworn that Bucky wasn’t real because in that moment he was like an angel and Steve would have wagered that he was glowing from within. Sitting sideways in the chair, legs dangling over the side, his chin resting on his arm on the chair back, dark hair in waves around his face. Steve had clicked several pictures, originally just for himself, but before the day was over he was planning the canvas.

“I made you look as you are, Buck. I made you look beautiful.” Sam shakes his head and walks away. “I hope you don’t mind that I did it and that I put it in this show.”

Bucky turns suddenly, kissing Steve with all the desires he can’t find a place for. Taking the artist’s hand, he kisses it with reverence. “How could I mind when it makes me feel special.”

Resting his forehead on Bucky’s temple, breath caressing against his cheek, Steve whispers. “You are special in so many ways. I love you with everything I am.”

Looking back at the painting one more time, Bucky huffs a quiet laugh. “I think we need to go back to the Tower and back to bed.”

Steve chuckles. “Or we could go to my home and stay there.” Bucky smirks because he knows that Steve’s apartment is closer, but something about the look on Steve’s face makes him pause. Steve shakes his head. “Listen, I know that the Tower is your home and I’ll move in there if you want, but what I mean is live in my home. You, me, us, living together. I’m tired of being without you and I want to build a life with you. We can live together or get married and get a dog and a cat or hell Buck, if you want to adopt a kid or two, we can do that too. I just need to be with you.”

Steve’s mouth just didn’t know how to stop once it started and the wide-eyed look he’s getting from Bucky makes him think that he’s gone too far. Until the blinding smile blooms across Bucky’s face. “You mean…you mean you really want to build a life with me?”

Steve takes Bucky’s hand, caressing and kissing it over and over. “It’s all I want. It’s everything I need. Say yes and we never have to wake up alone again.”

Throwing himself into Steve’s arms, who holds him close, Bucky feels like he might weep with the elation he’s feeling. “Yes. Goddess yes, please.”

Tony offers to bring in movers, but Bucky decides he wants to do this on his own, so he goes out to buy boxes. He knows he needs to get used to being in this city alone and being able to go the few blocks to the store is a first step. Up to this point any time he went out, it was always with someone else. Someone that he could hang onto if he needed the support, but this is going to be his home and if Sam and Wanda could get used to this new world, he can too. 

Two days later, after going through his things and deciding what he needs, Bucky’s going to do this. Stepping out on the street, taking a deep breath, he sets off. Looking down at his phone checking the directions, he puts one foot in front of the other and weaves his way through the people. Trying not to get distracted by all the sights and sounds, he keeps his head down, looking at the screen of his phone. Bucky makes it to the store without any trouble and feels proud of himself. It isn’t his first time being here, but it is the first time that he allows himself to really look around and be curious.

He takes a minute to congratulate himself for making it without panicking. But very quickly gets distracted while in the store and ends up at the register with more than just the duffel bags and boxes. The more he put in the basket, the more times he has to go back to the box aisle adding more to the few already there.

He finds soft t-shirts that will be perfect for sleeping, he finds sleeping pants with kittens on them, he finds colorful fluffy socks that don’t match anything he has, but he wants them, and he finds a kitchen gadget that will make slicing vegetables with one arm easier. He also finds himself in the book section and the recipe book section is bigger than most, so he picks up one that seems interesting. Pulling his phone out, he thinks about calling Steve and seeing if there’s anything he needs, but seeing the time and the depleted battery life, he changes his mind. He didn’t mean to be in the store so long, but it was such fun to explore.

It isn’t until he starts to pay that he starts having a minor panic attack because of how late it’s gotten, but he tries to breathe through it. Then he’s out on the street and it really kicks in. Between the bags and the boxes under his arm, he knows that it will be difficult getting back to the Tower. He tries stopping and taking a breath, but someone bumps him and the boxes go flying. They don’t even stop, just keep going. With the help of a nice man, he picks the boxes up while trying to hold onto the bags. By the time he gets up, Bucky’s turned around enough that he isn’t sure which direction to go.

Ducking into an alley, he leans against the wall, hoping that he can check his phone. Sitting the bags and boxes next to the building, pulling his phone out, he finds it dead. That’s when his anxiety really kicks in. He knows the signs, thanks to Sam, and squats down, putting his head down and tries to focus on his breathing. Just when he starts to realize that it isn’t working and he’s only managing to work himself into a true panic, a voice jolts him from his own torturous mind.

“BUCKY!” Coming around the corner, he finds Steve looking up and down the sidewalk.

With a weak, airy sound he calls out. “Steve?”

The blond turns, spotting him and pushes through the people, who look at him with murder in their eyes, he pulls the lost man into his arms, seeming to relax. “Are you okay? JARVIS said you left hours ago and he told me where you were going.” Brushing Bucky’s hair away from his face, Steve looks frightened.

Clinging to Steve like his life depends on it, Bucky starts to explain, but it’s more of a ramble than anything. Steve finally kisses him to stop him from working himself back up. “I don’t belong here. I don’t, Steve. This is wrong. It’s all wrong.” He collapses into Steve’s arms, crying.

“Let’s get back to the Tower. We’ll talk then.” Steve takes the boxes, Bucky takes the bags, and with artist’s steady hand on his back, they make their way down the street. Bucky looks around as they walk, everyone seems to be hurrying someplace and it doesn’t make any sense. No one seems to be enjoying themselves and that’s beyond Bucky’s comprehension.

Once back on Bucky’s floor, Steve takes him to the sofa and goes to get a glass of water. Steve stands by the sink as the glass fills and he gets lost in his own thoughts. Maybe bringing Bucky here was a mistake. Maybe out of their own desires or guilt they did the wrong thing. He stops in the door of the kitchen and watches how the young man just stares into space. He looks so lost and alone. Taking a deep shaky breath, Steve heads to the sofa. 

Bucky looks up into Steve’s worried face. But it isn’t just worry, it’s also fear. Taking the glass, with a trembling hand, he sighs. “It’s so much. I thought I could do it on my own, but I can’t Steve.” He lowers his head, wanting to hide. “And none of you should have to babysit me every time I want to go out. It isn’t your responsibility to make sure I’m okay.”

Steve kneels, cupping Bucky’s cheek to force the man to look at him. He strokes across that beautiful face. “Taking care of you is my responsibility. Just the same as when you take care of me.”

Bucky gives a humorless chuckle. “And when exactly is that Steve? You don’t need me.”

Steve falls back, landing on his ass in front of the sofa, hand over his mouth in disbelief. “How do you not know how much I need you?” Bucky looks at him confused, so he plows forward. “I told you how sick I was as a kid.” Bucky nods, unsure of the direction of the conversation. “My ma gave up so much so that I would be okay. I felt guilt about it for years, still do sometimes.” Steve nervously picks at a thread at the end of his shirt, not daring to look at Bucky. “When I got well and bigger, I swore that I would never need anyone to take care of me again. That I could get by on my own and not have to depend on anyone else. Then you came along and it made me realize something that I didn’t understand as a kid.”

Buck watches Steve close in on himself in shame. “What did you realize?” It’s barely a whisper.

Steve looks up, glassy eyed and lower lip quivering. “I realized that needing someone didn’t make me weak, it meant that I was strong enough to admit that help isn’t something to be ashamed of. I _need_ you, Bucky. I need you to remind me to eat when I’m working. I need you to smile at me every day just so I know that everything is okay. I need you to put your hand on my back because it reminds me that I don’t have to be strong all the time. I need you to hug me every day so I know I have someone to lean on. I need you in ways that I can’t even put into words. And if my need for you means that you need me to be there for you when you can’t be strong then it’s not a hardship for me. I’d do anything for you. _Anything_.”

Bucky slips from the sofa between Steve’s legs. He crawls into the bigger man’s lap and snuggles into his warmth. “I need you too, Steve.” Steve turns his back to the sofa, leaning into it and holding Bucky against him. Slowly carding fingers through his wavy, brown hair, Steve thinks of that little boy, who was so determined to get by alone. He thinks about Bucky, young, frightened and running for his life. He thinks about two souls, calling for each other across time.

Moving Bucky into Steve’s brownstone is easy because the man doesn’t have much to speak of. Mostly clothes, some technology that Tony insisted that he needs, and recipe books that everyone seems to have contributed to. Sam helps them move the three duffels and boxes out of the Tower and into Brooklyn.

Sam watches Bucky move around the space hesitantly. He’s been here before, but now this will be home. “You sure you really want this and you don’t just feel like you should?” Sam isn’t really worried, but he feels that someone should ask. Being in a new time, in a place that is overwhelming, could have swayed the man to make this move before he was actually ready.

Bucky seems to know the reason behind Sam’s question and claps him on the shoulder. “This is what I want and have wanted.” He elbows Sam as Steve walks by carrying the last two boxes. “Honestly, I think Steve was moving too slow in asking me.” He looks at Sam, winking.

Steve puts the boxes on the kitchen counter, a kitchen that Bucky thinks might be right out of his dreams, and shuffles back over to Bucky, scooping him up bridle style. Bucky squawks, but is giggling at the same time. “I was trying to be understanding and not push too much, but if I’d known that, I would have moved you in here as soon as we got back.”

Sam rolls his eyes at the pair. “You two are going to be even harder to deal with.” Sam puts the duffels in the living room and heads to the door. “We’re all having dinner tonight, so don’t be late.” He gives them the eye, which is his way of saying don’t get distracted with physical activities and forget.

He leaves them with Bucky still being carried around by Steve. “You can put me down, you know.”

Steve half shrugs. “I could, but what fun would that be.”

Bucky lays his head on Steve’s shoulder and just enjoys the cuddling. “Steve, can I see your studio? You wouldn’t let me before.”

Steve starts up the stairs. “I wouldn’t let you before because your painting was up there.” He kisses Bucky on the landing of the second floor. Sitting him carefully, he takes his hand leading him up the last flight to the third floor loft. They make it to the loft and Bucky moves around the room, taking in everything he’s seeing, but being careful not to move anything. Steve leans against the railing at the stairs watching. Something about Bucky moving around this space gives the artist an almost giddy feeling. “I like seeing you here.”

Bucky turns, caught in the afternoon sun coming through the window behind him. “I like being here.” He spots something on the other wall, half hidden behind a drop cloth. Going over, he starts to reach to move the cloth, but stops. Looking back at Steve, he asks, “May I?” Steve nods, but is blushing. Once the cloth is moved away, Bucky can see the painting. “Steve, why isn’t this in your show?”

Steve lowers his head, shaking it. “I couldn’t do it. I thought about it and even put it with the ones for the gallery, but at the last minute, I just couldn’t. I guess I don’t want to share that yet. Maybe someday.”

Bucky kneels down, reaching toward the painting, but not touching it. He knows who it is, almost like he knew her in another life. “She would be incredibly proud of you.”

Steve comes over, kneeling with Bucky. “She would have loved you so much.” Slipping his arm around Bucky’s waist, they are silent for a time while Bucky explores all the light, shadow, and color that make up Sarah Rogers.

At dinner that night, Wanda shows the two an article she found about Steve’s coming show. There’s another link at the bottom and Steve clicks it because of the title: _Famous Artist has a New Boy Toy_. It makes him laugh. Sam explains to Bucky what the title means and he flushes deep red at the idea. It does make him think though and in bed later, with Steve sleeping peacefully next to him, he pulls out the tablet that Tony gave him. Looking up the article, it shows them dancing the night of Wanda’s birthday. The more he reads, the more fearful he gets.

_“Steve Rogers, the artist of our generation, was seen a few nights ago dancing with an unknown man. When asked about the man, the waiter that served the table that night, which incidentally included Tony Stark, his fiancé and CEO of Stark Industries, Pepper Potts, Sam Wilson, Mr. Rogers’s agent and Tony Stark’s personal assistant, Wanda Maximoff, the waiter would only tell us that he arrived on the arm of Steve Rogers and seemed to be just as close to the rest of the group. Who is this man? Is this a fling for the artist? What tragedy befell this man that he’s missing an arm? The city wants answers Mr. Rogers and we expect to get them.”_

He clicks numerous other links with much the same result. Carefully getting out of bed, he goes downstairs to the kitchen for water, but instead slips his boots on, grabs his keys, and heads out. He’s discovered since the incident at the store that he can handle being out at night because it’s quiet. He wanders down the street a few blocks, then turns back towards home. As he gets close to McGarrity’s, he sees the owner locking up. She’s a lovely woman in her 70’s who moves with a grace that Bucky associates with Pepper.

She looks up, seeing that it’s him, she smiles. “Well, Mr. Barnes, what are you doing out at this hour?” He’s been in the bakery many times with Steve and each time she has him try something new. She’s what he thinks of when he thinks of a mother. Not the woman that raised him, but what a real mother would be.

“I could ask you the same thing, Mrs. McGarrity.” He returns her warm smile.

She chuckles a soft sound and Bucky offers his arm. He’d seen Steve do that once when they had been on a walk in the neighborhood and met her taking her own walk. “Those delightful pastries that you like so much don’t bake themselves you know and there’s prep work to be done every night.”

“Then let me walk you home and you can tell me about your day.” He wants to avoid his own thoughts for now.

“I’d rather you tell me what has you up so late considering you just moved in today.” She watches his face and can tell that he’s thinking about how to put it. “Just talk to me. Sometimes if we talk, even if it seems to be in circles, it helps.”

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, he does. “Pictures of me and Steve ended up on social media and I don’t know why anyone would be interested in who I am. I’m a nobody, Steve’s the famous one. I have nothing to do with that, but every site I’ve been on, all the questions are about me.”

Mrs. McGarrity laughs brightly. “Well first of all, never google yourself. Second, this society is obsessed with fame and you being Steve’s boyfriend makes you famous. It’s a necessary evil of your life with him. And I suspect that if he heard you refer to yourself as a nobody, he would be very upset with you.”

Chuckling, he nods. “I’m sure he would.” He thinks about what he wants to say, but since she doesn’t know about his unique situation, he can’t, so he skirts around the next part. “I guess I’m just afraid that if they dig too much, they’ll find something…”

She stops on the sidewalk, squeezing his arm. “My dear, are you a prince from a foreign land and if they find you, they’ll drag you back to take the throne and you’ll never see Steven again?” There’s such mirth in her eyes that Bucky bursts with laughter.

“I think you’re teasing me and thank you for that.” She kisses his cheek and heads up the stairs of her Brownstone. Making sure she gets inside okay, Bucky heads across the street and back to bed with Steve.

Trying to be as quiet as possible, he slips into bed only to have Steve roll over. “What’s going on, Buck?”

“Steve we have to figure out what to do about these pictures.” Sliding down to face Steve, he reaches over caressing the blond’s cheek.

“I don’t give a damn about any of that.” Steve captures his hand, kissing the palm.

“I know you don’t, but if they dig too much they’ll find out that I don’t exist.” That’s when Steve understands. “They start digging around and we’ll have more questions than we can answer.”

“Sweetheart, I’ll call Pepper tomorrow and we’ll figure out what to do about your background. But as far as what the general population thinks or wants to know, that’s for us to decide. They can call and follow us all they want, it will not change what we have.” He pushes forward, kissing Bucky. “I’m just sorry you have to deal with this. It’s something I should have thought about before.”

Bucky leans in kissing Steve again. “How do you do that?” Steve grins knowing full well what Bucky means.

Steve blushes, looking at Bucky through his ridiculously long eyelashes. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but we seem to be able to read each other better than most.” It’s crossed Steve’s mind a few times, the way they can just know the other needs something.

Wrapping his arm more securely around Steve, Bucky melts into the welcoming embrace. “I thought it was just me. It really does seem like I can feel you sometimes.”

Steve leans back, waggling his eyebrows at Bucky. “You can feel me anytime you want, Sweetheart.”

Bucky shakes his head, snorting at the bad pun. “Shut up and kiss me.” Steve rolls to hover over Bucky. “No more bad jokes though.” Steve pouts, but the twinkle in his eye gives it very little power. “But if that offer to feel you is still available I may take you up on it.”

When Steve calls Pepper the following morning, he explains Bucky’s fear. “I just want to give him peace of mind as far as all this goes. He’s been in the kitchen all morning baking. Pepper, we’re running out of counter space.”

She giggles on the other end. “Tony built the identity, but I can do something about the background. It shouldn’t take too much time. Oh and if he’s made anymore of those scones, I’ll be happy to take those off your hands.”

Steve chuckles. “I’ll bring some over and there’s a variety this time.”

Pepper does, in fact, take care of Bucky’s background and Steve allows Sam to release a statement to the press and another on his Instagram. It simply states that Steve Rogers is officially off the market and the young man that stole his heart is James Barnes. Pepper creates an identity of a talented baker from California who has no family. It makes Bucky smile because it’s the first time he feels real within himself and not just because of Steve. Now when he does a search of himself, he finds the bio and there’s a giddy feeling in his stomach that he’s a person, not just a name.

Now, some evenings Bucky will go out late, just so he can walk Mrs. McGarrity home. It’s like every other night that he’s done this. She talks about her day and the silliness that some of the customers bring in with them. He talks about Steve’s show coming up. “Tell me James, how long have you been baking?”

He smiles up at the night sky and feels her squeeze his arm. “Not long. I just really like that I can create things that make other people happy.” She pats his arm like she understands completely, he’s sure she does.

“Well, you are a perfect match to Steven then. Both of you give joy to others through your talent.” Bucky looks confused because as far as he knows, she’s never had anything he’s made. Her aged eyes twinkle with mischief. “Oh, you didn’t know that Steven has been bringing me some of your food?”

“No ma’am, I didn’t.” He blushes, embarrassed that Steve would offer someone, that’s been baking her whole life, something he made.

“Well he did and if you have a minute, I’d like to talk to you about a proposition.” They’ve arrived at her brownstone and he follows her up.

That’s how he starts baking for the café. She’s getting older and can’t do everything she used to comfortably, so she hires him to make some of the more difficult desserts. She also entrusts him with her family recipes and he swears on everything he holds sacred that he will never share them with anyone. There’s something so pleasing about making something that comes from a family, not something he found on YouTube or from one of his books, but from generations of people with a history. It further anchors him to this new world, he has a place now.

Steve comes home the night before his gallery opening and finds Bucky dancing in the kitchen with Mrs. McGarrity and the smell of fresh bread filling their home. It’s so domestic that Steve could cry. He’s known that Bucky and Mrs. G. have been growing closer, but this is like walking in and finding Bucky dancing with his ma.

They stop dancing and laughing when they see Steve. Mrs. G. walks over, patting Steve’s cheek. “I’m telling you Steven, if you let this one get away, I will forever question your sanity.”

“Mrs. G. you don’t have to worry about that. I’m never letting him get away.” She hugs him then Bucky walks her across the street to make sure she gets in okay. When he comes back, Steve is leaning on the counter, eating a slice of bread with butter and jam smeared across. He looks up guilty. “I hope this wasn’t for something special.”

Bucky quirks an eyebrow. “It’s being used for why I made it. Good thing too.” He leans a hip on the counter next to Steve, watching him eat.

“I’m sorry, but it smelled so good and tastes even better.” Bucky leans in, taking a bite even as Steve is twisting away to hoard his slice. “Get your own.”

Bucky turns, swaggering out of the kitchen, hips swaying a little too much. “See if you get any dessert after that selfish display.”

Steve chases after him up the stairs, whining. “Now wait…I’ll share…come on, Buck. Don’t hold out on me.”

He comes into the bedroom as Bucky strips off his shirt and pants. Looking back at Steve over his shoulder, Bucky smiles. “I would never hold out on you.” Bucky winks and Steve’s insides jump and flutter. “I’d be punishing myself as much as you.” Steve shoves the last of the bread into his mouth and tackles Bucky to the bed. 

Pepper reads through the files from the Japan deal while Tony tinkers with something on his work bench. The negotiations went well, but the Japanese are sticklers about details and it doesn’t help that their negotiator knows that Pepper is more than she appears to be. Of course, Pepper knows that their negotiator is more than she appears to be too, but at this point that’s neither here nor there.

She’s unaware that Tony is no longer tinkering, but watching her. “What has you so engrossed that isn’t me?”

She snorts and looks up at the man that she loves. “It’s these contracts. Natasha, the one I told you about, is trying to squeeze more from this than we agreed on.”

Tony nods because she’s been distracted by anything coming from Japan. It’s been months and months and they still haven’t hammered anything out. “Why don’t you just smite her?”

Pepper looks up un-amused. “You really like throwing that around.” Tony comes over, kissing her cheek. “If I knew what I was dealing with, then maybe I could better deal with it.”

“Let me take your mind off that.” She nods, getting up when he tugs on her hand. Drawing her over to the work bench, he uncovers what’s been taking all of his time. He can’t gauge her reaction, so he asks, “What do you think?”

She starts to reach out, but stops looking at him. He nods. Touching the surface, she smiles. “Is this what I think it is?”

“It sure it.” He leans against the bench so he can see her face. “What do you think?”

Throwing her arms around him, she sniffles. “I think it’s amazing.” Pulling back, she kisses him. “I think you’re amazing too.” He picks up a tool and she knows that he’s going to be working for hours, so heading up the stairs, she calls back at him. “I’m going to invite Natasha to Steve’s art show.”

“If you smite her can I watch?” She winks over her shoulder at him and he smirks in return. Most days Tony doesn’t think about the strangeness of his life and those he calls family, but when it’s late like this and especially when he’s working on Bucky’s arm, he can’t help to marvel. Once, if someone had asked, Tony would have said that supernatural is just someone’s made up fantasy for escapism. Now, he lives it every day. Goddesses, gods, witches, it’s all insane and yet it is his life. He stops for a minute, looking up the stairs, dropping the tool he heads up after his fiancé. Far be it for Tony to not take the time to worship his goddess’s temple.

The following weekend Bucky has his first experience at gallery shows. He’s dressed in a tux that Steve insisted he needed and it’s really not as uncomfortable as Bucky thought it would be. Pepper told him that’s because if the tux is made right and to Bucky’s measurements, then it should be comfortable. Steve left for the gallery earlier with Sam, so Bucky rides in with Wanda. They arrive at the same time as Pepper, Tony, and a red-head that Bucky doesn’t know. Wanda whispers in his ear that it’s the woman that’s been giving Pepper such trouble. Wanda doesn’t share that she dislikes the woman, but can’t say exactly why.

Pepper looks like a million dollars all dressed up. Tony looks bored, but it could also be lack of sleep. “Ah James, this is Natasha Romanoff. Ms. Romanoff, this is James Barnes, Steve’s boyfriend.” 

Taking his offered hand, her attention seems to still be on Pepper, but when their hands connect, she freezes staring shocked at his face. Bucky feels the jolt and sways from the feeling. Wanda tightens her hold, when the red-head speaks. “Jacobus?” She steps back. “They said you…”

There are so many things from Bucky’s previous life that he’s let fade into the depths of his mind. The woman standing in front of him, with her striking red hair and bright green eyes, is not someone that he knows. But she’s used his given name. He stumbles back, shaken. She knows him from before and that just isn’t possible. He looks into the gallery, wishing for Steve. His hands begin to shake and he can’t make out anything anyone is saying. The voices all run together and the red-headed woman steps toward him and he fumbles away, reaching out for something to hold on to.

A hand takes his and another wraps around his waist. “Bucky? Sweetheart, what’s happening?”

Bucky looks up into Steve’s face. “You came…and…”

Steve holds his love up, trying to get Bucky to focus on him. “Look at me, baby. I’m here. What’s happening?”

The small group, with the exception of Natasha, create a small circle around the pair. Natasha looks on, distrustful of what she’s seeing. She glares at Steve, who doesn’t understand the hate he sees in her eyes. “If you are the one called Alexander, you will be food for worms by the fall of night.”

Wanda jumps forward, red magic swirling around her hands. “The man called Alexander is centuries dead. You explain yourself or you will be undone by nightfall.”

Sam steps in, eyes glowing white. “We will protect this man with power you know nothing of. Back away and explain yourself.”

Bucky feels lightheaded and frail, leaning into Steve even more than before. Just the name Alexander, has his heart racing and panting to get a breath. Steve sweeps him up, cradled against his chest. He lays a gentle kiss on Bucky’s temple. “Nothing will harm you. I’ll die here if I have to. I didn’t find you just to lose you to like this.”

Natasha watches the two. How Jacobus melts into the chest of the large, blond man. The way the blond man, holds him safe. “If you aren’t Alexander, name yourself.”

Still holding Bucky close to his chest, Steve squares his shoulders. “I’m taking Bucky inside. Figure this out.” He starts into the building when something like wind rushes past him to hold the doors closed, but just as quickly, the hold gives and Steve enters the building, carrying Bucky to the back office.

Natasha turns on the group, eyes calculating. “One of you has more power than you appear.” She looks at Wanda. “Is it you witch?”

Pepper steps forward, smiling in a way that to a passerby would be indulgent, but to the group, especially Tony, it’s threatening in the worst possible way. Tony steps forward, getting right in the woman’s face. “Natasha, you don’t know us and we don’t know you, but every one of us will protect that young man with whatever is necessary.” He looks back at Pepper, who nods. “Now, I may be just a lowly human in this mixed up situation, but the one you call witch, can bring down hellfire right on top of your head and the other two can stop her from doing it. You need to ask yourself and be really honest, do you really want to die here tonight.”

“And what makes you think any of you have that kind of strength?” Natasha shows no fear in the face of things she doesn’t understand.

That’s about as much as Pepper can stand. She steps over to Natasha, placing a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “I want you to look very closely and I want you to decide if Tony is finally going to get his wish and gets to watch me smite someone.”

Tony looks absolutely gleeful at the prospect. “Would it help if I double dog dared her to do something?”

Pepper throws a look over her shoulder. “Tony!”

He shrugs. “I’m just sayin, it would be really cool to get to see.”

Natasha narrows her eyes, examining Pepper. “Who are you? Really?”

Pepper gives a menacing chuckle. “Well once upon a time people called me Athena. Wanda is my child and Sam, well, some would call him Straton.”

Natasha takes a step back, realizing her dire situation. Everything about her posture changes. “I meant no disrespect to you or your family, but Jacobus is my family and…” She looks towards the door longingly.

Wanda step forward, hand outstretched, searching the face for something, anything familiar. “Nymphodora?” Wanda reaches over, taking a strand of Natasha’s hair, running it through her fingers. “I don’t understand. You…you can’t…how?”

Natasha pulls a necklace from inside her dress. They all, except Tony, recognize it for what it is. “I’ve been changing my appearance each time I take a new name. I know I don’t look like it, but…” She looks back at the group, pleadingly. “He’s my brother and I’ve been searching so long.”

Steve sits Bucky on a small sofa in the office, getting a glass of water. Holding it for him, Steve lets him drink his fill. “Tell me what happened?”

For several minutes, Bucky can’t speak. When he does it’s so small. “You came to me. How did you know?”

Steve smiles, reaching up to caress Bucky’s face. “I just knew. One minute I was talking to Carol and the next minute I could feel you pulling me.” Bucky leans into his chest, listening to Steve’s heartbeat. “She said my name, my real name. Then she said Al..Ale…that name and it felt like I’d been kicked in the stomach.”

Steve turns them to face each other, holding Bucky’s face gently. “Listen, I don’t know who she is, but you have a goddess, a god, and a really powerful witch protecting you. I know Tony’s like me and just human, but something tells me, he’d put himself in harm’s way for you too. Whatever she wants, whoever she is, she’s not hurting you. I won’t let that happen.”

Bucky looks at Steve with such love and devotion. “Steve, I want to marry you. I want to live my life with you. Whatever else happens, I want that…with you.”

One of Steve’s hands travels to the back of Bucky’s head, pulling him in. “I want that too.” Resting their foreheads together, Steve just breathes for a few seconds. “I think we’re special, Buck. I don’t think most people are this lucky.”

Bucky opens his eyes looking at Steve’s long lashes fanned across his cheek. “You’re mine and I’m yours. That’s all I need to know and whatever is happening with that woman, it can’t break this. It can’t break us.”

The door inches open and Wanda pokes her head in. She sees the two, basking in the love that flows through them like water. “I’m sorry, but we need to talk about….”

A voice behind her stops her next words. “I think we should wait until this art show is over.” Natasha steps into the room. “I just want to say how sorry I am that I reacted that way. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to trust anyone and I let that mistrust dictate my actions.”

“But that doesn’t explain how you know me.” Bucky stands still holding Steve’s hand, drawing strength from their connection.

“No, it doesn’t and I will tell you everything, but this night is about Steve and I shouldn’t have ruined that. I’m so sorry…to both of you.” Steve still doesn’t trust this situation, but he does have to be a good host. It helps that Wanda is looking at her differently now. It isn’t so much trust, but more understanding.

“How about if we go out there, wow the people, then go to dinner?” He’s looking at Bucky when he speaks.

“I think that’s a good idea.” As they exit the room, the others watch for any deception from Natasha. They also notice that Bucky doesn’t release Steve, who doesn’t appear to want to let Bucky go either. When they speak to an interested party or Bucky is drinking wine, Steve’s arm slips around his waist protectively. Bucky leans into his side, watching him in adoration.

“What do you think he’s going to do when he finds out?” Natasha watches how they are with each other and can’t deny the connection, but it’s more. There’s something mystical about it.

“I think he’s going to freak out. It’s not like anyone in your family was kind to him.” Wanda looks at her accusingly. “Not even you.” Natasha doesn’t lower her head in shame, but her face does flush.

Nearing the end of the evening, Bucky makes his way to the painting that is at the center of the show. He still can’t believe that Steve did something like this of him. As he stands, looking critically at the painting, he feels a presence next to him. Turning, expecting to see one of his friends or Steve, he finds a man with rugged looks, staring at the painting too.

“He was quite inspired when painting _this_ one.” Something about it feels like a jab to Bucky.

“I’d say he was inspired while doing any of his art.” Bucky turns to leave, but the man’s hand on his arm stops him.

Bucky looks down at the hand. “You’re a fan then.” There’s something hard and cold in the man’s eyes. Something that reminds him of another man that turned his stomach.

Bucky jerks his arm away, glaring at the man. “I would say so since I asked him to marry me.”

The man pulls a card from his pocket, sliding it into Bucky’s, patting it. “If you ever get bored and want a little extra fun, give me a call.”

Bucky reaches into his pocket, dropping the card to the ground. “I would never bore of Steven and even if I did, you wouldn’t be who I would call.”

As Bucky rounds the instillation, he has a moment of pride in himself. He didn’t need anyone to save him, he dealt with the situation himself. Smiling, he goes to find Steve. When he does find him, he’s talking to the man from a few minutes ago.

“Oh come on! I’m offering you three times what it would normally sell for. Why would you paint it if you weren’t going to sell it?” The man is up in Steve’s face and Steve is barely hanging on to his temper.

“Sir, as I said, that painting is personal and not for anyone’s private collection.” Bucky leans on one of the walls, watching how this plays out. The woman, Natasha, watches too, interested in just how far Steve will go to protect her brother.

“Well, I understand why you want to keep it because he’s one really fine piece of ass. Give the rest of us something to wank off to.” The fist is flying before the man finishes speaking. Once he’s on the floor, Steve puts his foot against the man’s throat.

“The next time you think about insulting someone’s fiancé and being a complete asshole, think about me and where you find yourself right now.” The security guard comes over and escorts the man out.

Bucky practically runs to Steve, throwing himself in to the blond’s arms. “So that’s a yes?”

“Definitely a yes.”

Dinner begins quietly, with eyes cutting around the table, measuring. Steve keeps a hand on Bucky’s leg to ground the younger man. Wanda sits to his other side, her hand covering Bucky’s resting on the table. “I think you should explain and remember, if we don’t like what we hear, there will be retribution.”

Natasha holds herself proudly, but her eyes give away her pain. “Jac…James, I know you don’t recognize me, but you knew me as Nymphodora.” Bucky coughs the water he’d been drinking. “I was not kind to you, but I’ve searched for such a long time to find you and make things right.”

Bucky’s calm cracks and he begins laughing. “If you truly were my sister, you would not search for me. She barely acknowledged my presence in her life. Try again and, this time, tell the truth.”

That breaks the façade of calm and her eyes begin to tear up. “I deserve that. I deserve all the anger you held for us. For willingly giving you over to that monster.”

“My family didn’t give me over to him, they sold me to him! I was nothing to them! Without an arm, I was nothing more than a servant in my own home!” She flinches as though he slapped her as he grinds out the words through gritted teeth. “If not for Wanda, I would have had no one that cared for me.” Steve squeezes his leg and Bucky lets out a deep breath. “If you are her, tell me how you came to be here because she was already married and gone from my life.”

Natasha takes a minute to gauge the reaction of those at the table. Pepper and Sam both seem to be just at the point of glowing eyes, Wanda is near tears, but her eyes seem to be turning red, Tony looks like he’s going to jump over the table and throttle her, and Steve is only looking at Bucky. Natasha clears her throat. “After you ran, I returned home for the harvest celebration and father told me you were gone. At first I thought he meant you had left with Alexander.” Bucky pales at the name. “He told me that you left with the witch.” She looks apologetically at Wanda. “She was the only one that protected you when the rest of us just wanted you gone.” She reaches for her glass and Steve sees her hands shaking. “Then, just as the festival was beginning _he_ came back and he brought his fury with him. He accused us of letting you run and before the night was over, the town was laid waste.”

Sam looks at Bucky, grief-stricken. “I am sorry for that, but at the time I had no choice.” Bucky nods, smiling softly at Sam.

Natasha doesn’t understand that connection, but continues her story. “I survived. I was one of only three that survived that attack. Once I saw what a monster he was, I couldn’t support my family’s decision. I mean, he destroyed an entire town for no other reason than jealousy and hate.”

Pepper looks at her hard and unforgiving. “That doesn’t explain how you’re here.”

Natasha looks at the table, gathering her thoughts. “When I returned home, to my husband, I couldn’t let it go. I kept thinking that the only one that saw him for what he was, was a brother that I didn’t deserve.” She looks over at Steve. “You have to understand, no matter how we treated him, James was the kindest, gentlest soul I’ve ever seen. He played with the children and helped the elderly in the town with anything they needed.” Her next words are emphatic. “He was and is good to a degree that my family never deserved.”

Steve leans in, kissing Bucky’s temple. “These are all things I already know.” Bucky looks over and Steve rests his lips against his forehead, whispering, “You are my light.”

Bucky blushes and smiles. “You are my love.”

Natasha begins to cry and looks to Pepper. She’s been intrigued with this relationship after watching it all evening. “What is this connection they have?”

The entire table looks to Pepper, who seems to be a lot less comfortable than a few minutes before. “We should finish one conversation before we start another.”

Natasha nods. “I walked away from my life. I went to the temple of Hestia and asked for an audience. She was not willing at the beginning, but I stayed, for years, waiting. When she finally granted me her time, I told her of my turn of heart, of my brother who was lost to me, of my willingness to do whatever she asked to make it right with him.”

Pepper looks at Bucky, pained, but smiling. “My aunt was always a soft touch when it came to the heart of the family and your family only had one heart.”

Natasha nods. “That is what she said to me and she was right.” She looks at Bucky hopeful. “You were the only heart we had and I couldn’t let anything happen to you. She granted me life and power. She told me that one day, when I found you, I would spend years making things right with you.” She looks down at her lap and Pepper sees that she’s weighing her next words. She’ll stop Natasha if she begins giving too much information. The red head looks up at her and Pepper relaxes. “She didn’t tell me that it would take so long.”

Bucky takes his hand from Wanda, laying it on the table, palm up. “If you wish to be part of my life, I will accept you, but you must know that my life here is my own. I do not answer to you and will do as I please. I have a family and you will earn you way into it.”

He looks over at Steve for assurance that he will give her a chance too. He looks at her hard, almost callously. “You hurt him, in any way, and I will make you pay.”

Her smile is blinding. “I will earn your trust. I swear it.”

Natasha moves into the Tower and spends her days getting to know the people that have become her brother’s family. She finds Pepper to be the most open to talk to. Tony seems to judge her every time she enters the room. Wanda and Sam speak candidly, but she gets the impression that they hold back anything they don’t think her brother would want shared. She does find out about the stone and how he came to be in this time. “So, he was locked away so that Alexander couldn’t find him and Steve is the only one that could release him?”

Wanda stands in the communal kitchen, fixing a late lunch. “It wasn’t something I wanted to do, but I knew it was the only way to protect him.” She looks over at Natasha and sees her calculating look. Not much gets passed the younger woman. “You are trying to find out if Steve is worthy of your brother.”

Natasha smirks. “I didn’t protect him before, the least I can do is protect him now. If Steve isn’t good enough for him, I can do something about that.”

“They haven’t allowed you into their lives yet. You don’t know what you’re talking about if you think they aren’t perfect for each other.” Wanda holds out her hand and a knife from across the room flies to her.

Natasha chuckles. “Is that your subtle way of telling me to back off?”

Without looking up, Wanda shrugs. Then the knife flies at Natasha’s head, freezing centimeters away from her nose. “I have no need to be subtle.” The knife comes back to Wanda’s hand. “You can’t blame them for not trusting you completely. I don’t, but I’m willing to give you a chance. They don’t have to be that kind. What Steve and Bucky have, it is the stuff of legends.”

Steve chases Bucky up the stairs, laughing loudly at the squeal that comes from the younger man’s mouth. “Spraying me with water deserves payback!” The kitchen is in disarray after breakfast because Bucky decided to play while washing dishes.

“I didn’t mean it! Spare me your retribution, kind sir!” He gets as far as the studio when Steve’s arms slip around his waist and hoist him into the air.

“You have to face the consequences of your actions now.” Bucky’s feet slip to the floor and he turns in Steve’s arms, smiling up into blue eyes.

“I will take your punishment.” The smile is brilliant and Steve can’t believe this is his life. Bucky sees the shift in Steve’s demeanor. “What is it?”

Steve’s lips crash into Bucky’s causing the young man to moan and throw his arm around Steve’s neck. They cling to each other, ravaging the other’s mouth. Steve pulls back, lifting Bucky by the thighs, encouraging him to wrap his legs securely. “I need you. Now.” Bucky’s back meets the closest wall and Steve’s lips are back.

“Yes…now…” Bucky whines high and needy when Steve’s lips travel down his neck. “Please…” Seconds turn to minutes, that turn to hours. 

Bucky lays on the floor of the studio, a paint covered drop cloth under him, sated and smiling. A very naked Steve stands at an easel sketching thoughtfully. He looks over at Bucky and goes back to the sketch. “You are more beautiful each day. I don’t know how that’s possible, but it is.”

Bucky wrinkles his nose. “You love me, you have to think I’m beautiful.”

Steve stops sketching. He comes over, kneeling on the floor, placing a hand on Bucky’s abdomen. “Bucky, it doesn’t matter that I love you or if I didn’t, you…are…beautiful.” He punctuates each word with a kiss. Bucky blushes deeply. “You put every piece of art to shame with your brilliance.” He goes back to the sketch, picking up the charcoal again when the buzzer sounds for the door. Picking up his pants from earlier, he uses the corner of the drop cloth to cover Bucky. “I’m not done with you yet, so stay put.”

Steve flings the door open to find Natasha with a large bag hanging precariously from her index finger. “I brought lunch.” He narrows his eyes in contemplation and she smirks. “I thought it would be nice to see where you lived with my brother.” Without waiting for an invitation, she slides past him and into the living space.

“Sure, come right in. It’s not like we were in the middle of anything.” She heads into the kitchen chuckling.

“Yes, by the state of your dress I would say I did pick a rather questionable time, but I’m here now, so get my brother and let’s enjoy each other’s company.” Steve sighs and head back up the stairs.

Bucky is already in his pants when Steve makes it to the third floor landing. It’s not that he doesn’t want Natasha to get to know the incredible person Bucky is, he just didn’t want her in their space. They’ve been very careful about meeting her out or at the Tower. This place is just for them. “Your sister is here with lunch.”

“I heard. We should probably get shirts before going back down.” He jogs down the stairs to the second floor and heads into the bedroom.

Steve looks longingly at the drop cloth and easel. “Yeah, shirts.” 

As they enter the kitchen, she comes to Bucky, hugging him. He’s still trying to get used to that and Steve doesn’t trust it. He can’t say for sure what it is about the woman that bothers him, but there’s something there, something in the eyes. Like she’s still hiding something. “What did you bring?”

Bucky watches Steve and knows that he’s not comfortable with this situation and he does understand. He wants to trust her, but he also trusts his gut. He keeps that hidden from her. She grins, unpacking the containers. “I brought several things from a little French bistro. It’s as close to actual French food that I’ve found in the city.”

Bucky makes a plate for himself and Steve, guiding everyone into the living room. Steve comes in carrying a bottle of wine and three glasses minutes later. Natasha doesn’t miss anything sitting hers and Steve’s plates on the coffee table. Once everyone is comfortable and eating, Bucky watches through lidded eyes. “What are you really doing here, Natasha?”

Steve’s surprised by Bucky’s inquisition, but doesn’t hide his appreciation around the question. She looks up, part surprised and part amused. “It seemed strange to me that I’ve never been here. That I’ve never been invited here, so I thought I’d take the bull by the horns and come see what was what.”

Bucky arches an eyebrow at her. “And what is it you thought you’d find? Chains on the walls, cuffs for imprisonment?”

She snorts a laugh. “Well, as secretive as you two have been about me being here, I wasn’t sure. Keeping me out of your life here does seem to be something I need to question.”

Bucky barks a laugh, eyeing Steve. “Considering who you are, I’d think you would understand exactly why we didn’t invite you here.” It’s a low blow and Bucky means for it to be. “It’s not like I was ever invited into your home.”

“That was another time and that was another me.” He’s challenging her and she’s taking the bait.

“But you can understand why Bucky doesn’t trust that since for him it was about a year ago.” Steve looks over at her, finally taking his eyes from Bucky, and sees that she’s not unaffected. For Bucky, the statement hits home more than anything he could have voiced.

“Yes, I can understand that.” She doesn’t stay long once lunch is done and Bucky watches her leave, but for once, doesn’t feel bad about being honest with her. 

After delivering the baking to Mrs. G a few days later, Steve and Bucky are summoned to the Tower by Tony. As they exit the lift in his lab, he’s talking a mile a minute with Pepper. “No, no, no, we have to make sure this is perfect. If it’s not perfect, I won’t let him have it.”

Pepper sees them before Tony does, rolling her eyes. “Well, you better get ready, because they’re here.”

Tony’s head pops up, he’s blurry eyed which tells the two men that he hasn’t slept in a few days. “Ah…well…” He looks over at Pepper. “Check mate for you.” She sniggers and goes to hug her friends.

Bucky looks over at her with confusion. “Why does something about this make me nervous?”

“Well you’re in Tony’s lab and he’s done something for you, which could be good or could explode, so I understand your hesitation.” She’s smirking, cutting her eyes over at Tony.

“HEY!” He comes around the work bench, wiping his hands on a cloth. “That’s…accurate.” Taking Bucky’s elbow and leads him to the bench. “I’ve been working on something.” Pulling back the sheet, he grins down at the arm.

Steve, who joined them at the bench, looks over Bucky’s shoulder. “I’ll be damned.” It’s beautiful with black connecting plates and gold inlays. There’s a piece that’s not attached that looks to be a cuff. Steve points at it. “Does that connect to the shoulder?”

Tony’s grin is infectious. “Yeah, once that’s attached the arm snaps into place.”

Bucky reaches out, running fingers along the metal. “It looks like one you drew.” He looks up at Steve.

Tony breaks in. “Funny you should bring that up, but that’s where the idea came from.”

Something about the arm is odd, but Bucky can’t figure out what it is. The metal feels warm, like actual flesh. When he realizes what it is, he turns to Pepper. “There’s magic in it.”

She nods. “There were two ways to go about making this work. One, you go through hours and hours of surgery to connect the cuff or, two, I give Tony a helping hand.”

“I’ll admit, I was a little unsure about mixing science and magic, but…what do I know.” Tony looks expectantly at Bucky. “What do you say, Buckster?”

“I-I d-don’t know what to say.” He looks up at Tony. “You did this for me?” 

Tony swallows hard, looking down at the table. “Family takes care of each other.”

Bucky turns to Steve, who’s letting the tears slide down his cheeks unabashedly. “What do you think, Steve?”

“I think it’s amazing and you deserve it.” Bucky leans up, kissing him lightly and wiping the tears away.

Turning back to Tony, he grins. “How soon can we do this?”

Tony rubs his hands together. “That’s the beautiful part about my beautiful assistant’s magic. We can do this right now.”

Pepper rolls her eyes at the ‘assistant’ comment. “I need you to know, there’s isn’t any way to do this without there being a little discomfort, but it will be minimal.”

Steve steps next to Bucky, arm around his waist. “What do you mean, discomfort?”

Pepper smirks at the protectiveness from the artist. “Not to worry. As I said it will be uncomfortable for a few minutes, but there won’t be any pain.” She motions to the cuff. “In order for this to work the way Tony wants it to, the cuff will be fussed to the body using magic, but as I said, painless.”

Bucky finds himself laying on a table a few feet from the bench with the arm. His shirt discarded and Steve holding his hand. Pepper comes over with the cuff while Tony is looking over a scan. “We had to take into consideration that you were born without an arm. It isn’t like you lost the arm, so the nerve endings that would normally be in the arm, aren’t. That means we have to create them for the arm to work properly.”

Bucky looks up at Steve confused, then over to Pepper. “What he means is, the arm will work through the electrical impulses from your body, the ones that are already there, but there aren’t any nerves at the end of your shoulder.”

Tony comes over and Steve is looking at him skeptically. “I see that look Rogers and what Pepper means is, we have to grow some nerve endings for the cuff to work like it’s supposed to.” Steve starts to speak, but Tony’s hand stops him. “It will feel warm. The part that will cause discomfort is when Pepper attaches the cuff. It will feel warm and like pin pricks to the shoulder. Like when your foot goes to sleep and starts waking up.” Tony looks down at Bucky. “Can you handle that?”

Bucky looks up at Steve who looks more nervous than Bucky. “If it means I can hold Steve in both of my arms, I can survive it.” Steve sits on the stool next to the table, pulls Bucky’s hand to his lips to kiss repeatedly.

“I’ll do whatever he wants.” Bucky locks eyes with Steve, smiling. 

Pepper lays a hand on Bucky’s shoulder and he feels it warm up. Her eyes start to glow white and within minutes Bucky has feeling in the stump that he’s never had before. It aches some, but doesn’t hurt exactly. After a few minutes, the ache goes away and he smile up at Pepper. “Okay, now you have to understand, when Tony slides the cuff on, it’s going to fuse to your body and all of the nerves that I just help grow. It’s going to get hot because the magic has to attach the cuff to the nerves. Are you ready?”

Bucky nods then looks over to Steve, who seems to be terrified. “Steve?”

Steve looks up at Pepper. “Is there any way I can take the discomfort for him?”

Tony rolls his eyes, but Pepper leans over the table, cupping Steve’s face in a way he remembers his mother doing. “You are the most generous of souls, but he must do this on his own.”

Steve looks back down at Bucky and is surprised by the look of such intensity that he’s not sure why. “Buck?”

“My sweet love, with you next to me, it wouldn’t matter how much it hurt, I could endure it for you.” The devotion shared by the two men is something that Pepper has only seen once before. For just a moment she’s taken back centuries before Jacobus was even born. Shaking her head and clearing her throat of the lump that’s formed, she smiles at Tony, who clearly knows there’s something more going on. 

Quirking an eyebrow he gives her _that_ look. The one that says, ‘we’ll be talking about this later.’ She nods, which shocks him since there are things she doesn’t want to talk about. “Are we ready?” Bucky nods and Tony places the cuff against the stump. It gets warm, Peppers eyes start to glow again, she places her hands on top of Tony’s, and then it gets hot. It’s an oppressive heat like a summer day that’s bearing down on the city, holding the scorching swelter too close to the ground. Bucky whimpers and Steve stands, placing his hand on Bucky’s forehead. 

Leaning in, Steve presses his lips to Bucky’s cheek. “Beloved, I would take it for you if I could.” He reaches down, without thinking, and places his hand on top of Pepper’s on the cuff in a show of comfort.

What happens next is unexpected for three people in the room. As Steve starts to reach for the cuff, Pepper had started to issue a warning. She knew what might happen if he came into direct contact with her magic. Up to this point, it had always been indirect, through Wanda and Bucky. And truthfully, until she saw them together, she wasn’t sure. Now, as his hand makes contact, her magic rushes up his arm, he throws his head back, and his eyes start to glow blue. 

All of the ache and soreness leaves Bucky and travels up Steve’s arm, but he doesn’t appear to be in pain. As quickly as it starts, everything stops. Tony watches, transfixed by what he’s seeing. Steve looks down to check on Bucky, who is staring at Steve in awe. Sitting up, he beckons Steve to him and the blond wraps himself around Bucky, holding on. “Uh…Steve?” Tony is watching and can’t really believe what he’s seeing. Steve’s eyes haven’t stopped glowing and he doesn’t seem to realize. “Pep, I think you need to explain now.”

She looks over at the man she loves, seeming to be shaken. “Let’s attach the arm first.” He nods and goes to get it from the other table.

The lab doors open and three very confused friends come charging in. Sam’s wings are out, Wanda’s eyes are red and her mist encircles her body, Natasha’s eyes are glowing green and her arms are up to attack. “We felt a new magic in the building and came to help.”

Steve turns and they all stand stunned as his eyes fade back to normal, but they catch the last bit of blue. “What the hell?” Sam stares at him in bewilderment.

Tony comes back to the table and for the first time the three see the arm. Wanda’s hands fly to her mouth. “You built…”

Bucky cups Steve’s cheeks, staring into his eyes. “My love, what is happening?”

Steve shakes his head, not understanding. Tony butts in with the arm, trying to do what Pepper instructed. “How’s the cuff feel?”

Bucky looks over moving his shoulder up and down. “It feels good.” He looks back at Steve. “You made it stop hurting.”

Pepper pushes Bucky to lay back down. Tony put the arm on the table and smiles at the young man. “It’s going to take some getting used to. You’ve never had an arm, so you’ll have to train yourself to use it.”

Bucky grins up at him. “I think I can do that.” He looks back at Steve, who hasn’t released his hand. “Steve can help me.”

Steve smiles softly down at him. “Anything you want. Anything for you.”

Pepper watches Tony slide the arm up the table. He closes his eyes briefly, opens them, and snaps the arm into the cuff. “Okay, I want you to think about moving your fingers.”

Bucky closes his eyes, focuses on the instruction, and they watch as his fingers start to drum on the table. He giggles when he hears the sound, sitting up, he straightens the arm out to his side, moving it around. “oh…” Steve sweeps him up from the table, hugging him close and for the first time, two arms circle his back. “Steve…Stevie, I’m hugging you!”

Bucky runs over to one of the tables and picks up a tool, waving it around. Steve laughs with a childlike glee, watching Bucky run around the lab, picking up things. Then he runs back to Steve, throwing himself into the artist’s arms. Steve swings him around, both men laughing. Silence fills the lab as Bucky reaches up, cupping Steve’s cheek with his new hand. Steve smiles through tears. “I love you.” 

Bucky blushes at the intensity of the words and the rest of the people in the lab feel like they are intruding on a private moment. “I love you too, so much.” Sam clears his throat, Bucky looks over, nodding. “But we do have to talk about what happened.”

“What are you saying? I…there…but…” Steve’s trying to wrap his head around what they are telling him. No one seems weary except for Natasha, who hasn’t let her guard down and seems to be hovering over Bucky in protective mode.

Pepper holds up her hands trying to get everyone to calm down. Voices are talking over one another, Bucky is holding Steve’s hands trying to convey that whatever happened isn’t important, and Tony is slowly putting two and two together. Sticking his thumb and index finger into his mouth, he whistles loud enough to silence the room. Steepling his fingers on the table, he starts to parse it together for them. “I’m going to take a shot in the dark here and say that Steve isn’t who Steve thinks he is.” Pepper swings around staring disbelieving at him. “And by your look, I’m right.”

Natasha stops behind Steve, raising her hands, but when Pepper throws an arm out, Natasha’s action freeze. “He isn’t who you think he is either.”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense. Alexander had magic in him and so does this man.” Bucky barks a laugh, looking up at his sister.

“For all your talk of wanting to be my sister, you are still the same person you were then. Back then it was because I was seen as a cripple which made me simple in your eyes. Now you use my naivety as an excuse to think you know better than me.” Bucky stands, putting himself between his sister and Steve. “For once, stop being an ass and understand that I know better than you in this situation.”

She looks distraught. “I am simply trying to protect you from yourself.”

Again, Bucky laughs and there’s nothing pleasant about it. “Know this, if there was even a chance that this man was Alexander, I would be the only one in this room that would know it. I’m the only one in this room, besides Sam, that had personal dealing with that monster. Steve isn’t and couldn’t be Alexander.”

Steve looks at the table, not really seeing it and his hands begins to shake. “Oh god, what if I am? What if…oh…jesus…Bucky you have to get away from me.” Steve stands quickly, backing away from Bucky, glaring at his own hands in disgust.

Before he can lose himself and spiral completely out of control, Bucky rushes to him, encircling him in a crushing hug. “You aren’t and never were that madman.” 

“He’s right.” Everyone looks back at Tony.

“How can you be sure?” Natasha wants to trust her brother, but she can’t let her guard down just in case.

“Because I’m smarter than the average bear.” Pepper rolls her eyes and Tony smirks at her. “Since all this insanity became my everyday life, I started doing some reading.” He gives a minimal shrug. “I figured for everything I read about 30% of it was probably fact, but it was enough to start to piece together the world most of you came from. I mean, I’m going to marry Athena next month, so…” He tightens his lips into a thin line. It’s the first time that Pepper’s really observed how much all this has affected him.

“Tony…” She steps towards him, but he steps away.

Sometimes the only way Tony can process things is to put distance between himself and the problem. “No Pep, it’s okay, but it’s a lot to take sometimes. Now, let’s just deal with this before Green Lantern over there tries to smite someone.” Pepper nods and Natasha looks confused. “See, Pepper’s an old soul and I’m a relatively new one in the grand scheme of things. But something about Steve and Robocop didn’t line up because in truth they should both be young souls like me. They aren’t though, are they?” He looks over at Pepper and she flushes in embarrassment.

“I didn’t know for sure until recently.”

“But you suspected when Steve was carving him out of the stone?” She nods, but won’t meet his eyes.

Steve crosses his arms over his chest. “Would someone like to explain what the hell is going on and why I’m suddenly channeling magic?”

Tony looks over, flicking his eyes down at the table. “That’s because you are magic.”

Steve turns, indicating everyone else in the room. “Magic comes from being a god or goddess or being adopted by one.” He looks at Wanda and Natasha.

“Or if you’re a demi-god.” Bucky spins around to look at Tony.

“Wh-what do y-you mean?” Steve takes Bucky into his arms, lowering him into a chair and kneeling at his feet.

Tony looks at Pepper. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but we’re talking about Achilles and Patroclus here, aren’t we?” She nods, but doesn’t look up. “Why didn’t you tell them?”

She squares her shoulders and meets the eyes in the room, then zeros in on Steve and Bucky who look confused and unsure. “If there wasn’t a reason to tell them then they could just live this life together.” Her eyes get misty. “Then you touched my magic directly and here we are.”

Steve leans forward, resting his head in Bucky’s lap. Bucky, for his part, doesn’t seem fazed by anything other than Steve’s reaction. Steve feels the fingers of Bucky’s new arm, carding through his hair. This is supposed to be Bucky’s day, a day of celebration, and instead it’s turned into something that Steve can’t wrap his head around. Getting up, he pulls Bucky with him, and heads to the door. “We’re going home.” Everyone in the room tries to stop them, but Steve turns on them, eyes glowing. “We’re. Going. Home!”

The door clicks closed behind them, nearly echoing in the stifling silence. Steve locks the door, takes Bucky’s hand and pulls him to the living room. He wants to pile up on the sofa and cuddle Bucky until all this insanity goes away. Like he’s reading the older man’s mind, Bucky drags him to the sofa, but instead of Steve holding Bucky like they’ve done so many times before; Bucky sits against the arm and pulls Steve to lean into him in the V of his legs. The silence doesn’t lift and for a while that’s absolutely fine for them both.

Steve sits up, looking at the clock. “Go get dressed in something nice.”

Bucky furrows his brow. “Why?”

“Because we’re going to celebrate your new arm with a fancy meal and some dancing.” Steve gets up, heading up the stairs. This was supposed to be Bucky’s day and Steve isn’t going to let anything stop that.

Bucky chases him up the stairs, but not in a fun way. He grabs Steve’s arm before he can get to the second landing. “Steve?” The blond tries to pull away. “Steve stop!”

Steve turns, sighing. His look is pained and lost. “I want to celebrate with you because something amazing happened for you today.”

Bucky steps up, wrapping his arms around Steve. “I know that, but I’d rather stay here, order in and dance in our living room.”

Steve leans in, capturing Bucky lips. “Yeah, okay. Let’s change into something comfortable and then decide what we want to eat.”

Later, as they sway to the music, Steve lifts the new hand to his lips, kissing the palm. “It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

“It’s incredible and you deserve this.” Steve looks from the hand to Bucky’s face and just like every time, he can’t get over how much he loves this man. Bucky sees the look and tilts his head in question. “I love you.” Bucky’s mouth opens, but Steve shakes his head and keeps going. “I love you, not some myth, not whatever they were trying to get us to believe earlier, I love you, Jacobus, my Bucky.”

Bucky smiles adoringly. “Listen Steve, there isn’t an incarnation of you that I don’t love. I think it’s just built into my DNA. It doesn’t matter what happened before we met in this life, I love you Steven Rogers and there isn’t anything that will ever change that.”

Everything is perfect until there’s a knock on the door. Steve hangs his head, resting it on Bucky’s shoulder. “Can we just pretend we didn’t hear it?” As if on cue, the knocking becomes louder and more insistent. “I guess that’s a no.”

Bucky chuckles as he walks to the door. “Wanna take a guess as to who’s on the other side?” He winks at Steve as he opens the door to find Sam. “Sam.”

“Can we talk?” Bucky steps aside and waves him in with a sweep of his hand. As he steps in, he sees the candles, the finished dinner, and hears the music. “I’m interrupting something.”

Steve gives him his best ‘duh’ looks. “When has that ever stopped you?”

They sit and for the first time since Steve has known him, Sam seems nervous. He and Bucky wait to see what the man has to say. He claps his hands on his thighs and stands. “Okay, I do think we need to talk about what you heard.” They both try to speak, but he brushes it off and keeps going. “See, this is all a huge surprise to me and more than that, it’s incredible that Tony’s the one that figured it out. I mean Pepper knew, sort of, but she didn’t think it would ever come up and now it has because you had to go and interfere with magic and now I don’t know what to do with this information.”

Sam seems to be talking more to himself than to the two men watching him. He’s pacing now and part of Steve is sure that Sam doesn’t even realize he said most of that out loud. “Sam, I’m going to get you a beer and we’ll hear you out.” Steve comes back, handing the beer over.

Sam throws himself into the chair and just stares at the coffee table. “It wouldn’t have happened if it had been anyone except Pepper. Do you have any idea what the odds are, in human terms, that you would come in contact with Pepper’s magic?” Steve just looks at him, shrugging.

Bucky pulls his legs up under him, leaning more heavily into Steve’s side. Wrapping his arm around the younger man, Steve kisses his temple. “None of it really means anything, Sam. It’s not like I can tap into that again.”

Sam closes his eyes, shaking his head. “I don’t think you understand, Steve. Now that it’s been released, it’s just part of who you are now.” He looks up finally and sees the disbelief on Steve’s face. “If I had known who you were before, I would have been more careful, but she never told any of us. Not until today.”

“What did she tell you?” Bucky seems interested now because he remembers the story of Achilles and Patroclus from when he was growing up. It was such a sad story of two men that loved each other with such devotion, until families got involved and a war came. 

Sam sits the beer on the table, leaning forward. “I’m going to fill you in on this and then you do with it what you want, but first and foremost, you two were always meant to be.” Bucky looks up at Steve, smiling. “Okay, everyone knows the story of Achilles and Patroclus, but like all stories, it sort of gets deluded or enhanced as the centuries go by. They loved each other with an intensity that, honestly, I’ve never seen until now. It’s been whitewashed over the centuries because no one, in this uptight, hypocritical society wants to believe that love between men was always okay. Women got interjected into the story that had no bearing on how they felt about each other, but they did die in battle and the families did refuse to let them be buried together, which is what they wanted.” Sam sighs, deeply affected by what he’s saying. “Anyway, Pepper went to her uncle and asked for their souls. She really respected how honorable both men were.” Sam starts to tear up. “Hades refused, but said that at the right time he would make sure that they were born again. See, Pepper never asked him for anything and gave him respect that others didn’t, so he agreed to make sure they were born and found each other.”

Steve shaking his head trying so hard to come to grips with what he’s hearing. “You’re telling me that Hades, God of the Underworld, is real?”

Sam chuckles. “You don’t have an issue with Athena, but Hades is an issue? Come on man!”

Bucky sits up. “When I was a child, I remember hearing about the heroes and their love for each other.”

“Yeah well, everything that happened with the two of you was designed to happen just the way it did. Hades put you in the path of Alexander so that you would run.” Sam looks over at Steve. “His wife gave you your spark for creation, but you two were always meant to be together.”

Steve stands suddenly, dragging his hands through his hair. Bucky jumps up. “Steve, what’s wrong?”

His hands start to shake and tears well up in his eyes. “I’m being told that I was some kind of soldier so long ago that no one even remembers the story correctly.” Bucky nods. “It’s like saying this life, my life, isn’t real. That my mother wasn’t my mother!”

Sam sees the mistake he made immediately. “No Steve, no, that isn’t what I’m saying.”

“Then what the hell are you saying?” Hands on his hips, Steve stands, challenging what he’s hearing.

“You are Steve Rogers and Sarah Rogers is your mother and Joseph Rogers is your father. What I’m trying to get you to understand is that when you can feel that Bucky needs you and you love him with everything that makes you who you are, that you aren’t blowing your feelings out of proportion, it’s real.” Steve just looks at Sam confused now and he knows he’s not explaining it right. “Let me put it this way. Your soul is intertwined with Bucky’s in a way that isn’t normal for humans.”

That stops Steve, he looks down at Bucky, locking eyes with the man he loves. “Are you saying we’re…soul mates, like honest to god…soul mates?”

He hasn’t taken his eyes off of Bucky, who’s smiling so blindingly that Steve almost has to look away: almost. This time when Sam takes a deep breath, it’s more cleansing. “Yes! That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Your souls have been all mixed together since the first time you were born and that’s not going to stop. Only this time you weren’t supposed to tap into that part of yourself that’s a demi-god. And then you go and touch the only magic that could release that part of you! Damnit Steve, do you have any idea how complicated things could get?”

Bucky turns to Sam. “What do you mean?” His eyes narrow in a way that tells Sam if anything comes for Steve, it will have to get through Bucky first.

“Now just cool your jets! What I mean is, if you don’t learn to control your…self…any time Bucky is in trouble or you _think_ he’s in trouble, you could go off like a time bomb.” Bucky starts to laugh making Sam frown even more. “Oh, you think that’s funny, do ya?”

Steve starts to laugh too. “How the hell is this our life, Buck?”

Laying in bed that night, the two men stare at each other. Hands clasped between them, it’s almost as if they are searching for something. “I don’t remember anything from before.” Bucky closes his eyes, trying to explain. “I mean from before _this_ me.”

Steve leans in, kissing their joined hands. “That’s okay. I don’t remember anything either and apparently, I’m…what the hell ever I am.”

Bucky giggles, thinking about what Sam said. “It’s a good thing you hadn’t tapped into this that night at the gallery.”

“Are you talking about Natasha or that asshat that wanted the painting?” Steve chuckles when Bucky grins.

“Either…both…oh that man would have exploded all over your beautiful art.” Steve barks a laugh.

After a minute of laughing, they both grow quiet, searching the other’s face for…something. “Why aren’t you more upset about all this?”

Bucky pushes Steve onto his back and lays with his head on the artist’s chest. “Steve, do you love me?”

“Yes, of course I do!”

“Are you always going to love me?” Stretching his neck back, he looks up at Steve.

“Yes, I will always love you.”

“Then what does it matter what we were before? It only matters who we are now.” Rolling slightly, Bucky rests his chin on Steve’s pectoral and smiles sleepily. “Just don’t use any of your demi-god powers on me.”

Steve snorts. “Something tells me it’s going to be a long time before I figure all this out, but if I have you next to me, it won’t be so bad.”

“Then it’s never going to be bad because you’re always going to have me.” Steve cards his fingers through Bucky’s hair and the young man lays his head back down.

“So, that marriage offer’s still on the table even with all this new information?”

Crawling over Steve, Bucky straddles his hips, both hands braced on his shoulders. “You aren’t ever getting away from me, so the sooner we do this wedding thing, the better.”

“That’s a good answer, Mr. Barnes.” Steve pulls him in for a kiss.

“Soon to be Mr. Rogers.”


End file.
